Meath ease past Offaly to secure promotion and Division 2 final showdown with Cork
ON THE RISE: Meath's Cian McBride claims the ball against Offaly. Pic: Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile.
While Cork supporters endured a rollercoaster of anxiety before securing their place in next weekend’s Division Two league final, Meath only had to come through 20 nervy minutes in Tullamore before they took complete control of their game against Offaly, easing to the win they needed to wrap up promotion.
The final 10-point margin was arguably flattering to Offaly as the Faithful hit the last four points of the game, long after their seventh successive defeat was a certainty.
Two crucial second quarter decisions helped the dramatic change in this game’s momentum, though such was Meath’s dominance in the second half that it’s hard to imagine that it wasn’t just a question of which path would be taken to the same, inevitable outcome.
An early goal for Bryan Menton only added to the party atmosphere among the visiting supporters, who appeared to make up at least 3,000 out of the 3,250 supporters in O’Connor Park.
However what followed was a sustained spell of Offaly control that saw the midlanders move two points in front, while holding their own at midfield. Conor Melia and Daire McDaid fired over two-pointers with the aid of a very slight breeze, Cormac Egan acted as playmaker and quarterback, and up front Shane Tierney and Darragh Flynn were lively and energetic, keeping the Meath full back line moving.
Jordan Morris converted a free to halve the gap but on the next attack Shane Tierney claimed a mark and perceiving an advantage, fired a speculative shot wide of the top right corner, only for the referee to then reverse the mark decision following consultation with his linesman.
Seán Coffey pointed on the next play to level the game, a strong run from Jack O’Connor set up Aaron Lynch for the lead point, then a highly-contentious penalty call given for a shoulder challenge from Shane O’Toole Greene on Cian McBride allowed Morris to pick out the bottom right corner and effectively get the promotion party started.
McBride and Menton were now much more prominent under the kickout on both sides, while all three Meath half-backs got on the scoresheet as the Royals started to spill forward and punch holes in the Offaly rearguard.
Barring some remarkable scoring in Armagh later this afternoon, Meath will finish as the top scorers in the league and it was easy to see why as 12 players in all raised flags on a day when 20 of their 23 scores came from open play.
James Conlon came off the bench to score a point with his first touch and later add another, with Cian McBride and Jason Scully also tacking on late points.
With five minutes to play, the margin was out to 14 points but late scores from Harry Plunkett (two), Jordan Hayes and Eoin Sawyer reduced the margin for an Offaly side that will be next into action in the Leinster championship against Laois in three weeks’ time.
For Meath, next weekend will bring the first of what could be several trips to Croker this Summer.
D Flynn 0-4, D McDaid (1tp), H Plunkett (1f), J Hayes 0-3 each, S Tierney (1m, 1f), C Melia (1tpf) 0-2 each, E Sawyer 0-1.
J Morris 1-6 (1-0 pen, 1f), B Menton 1-0, A Lynch 0-3, D Keogan, E Frayne, S Brennan (1tpf), J Conlon 0-2 each, S Coffey, C Caulfield, R Kinsella, J Scully, C McBride 0-1 each.
C Melia; S O’Toole Greene, D Dempsey, L Pearson; D McDaid, D Egan, C Egan; J McEvoy, E Cullen; R Egan, J Hayes, M Dalton; D Flynn, S Tierney, N Furlong.
D Hyland for Cullen (half-time), E Sawyer for D Egan (half-time), H Plunkett for Tierney (51), E Dunne for Furlong (58), R Gallagher for Flynn (66).
S Brennan; S Lavin, S Rafferty, B O’Halloran; D Keogan, S Coffey, C Caulfield; B Menton, C McBride; J O’Connor, R Kinsella, J Flynn; J Morris, E Frayne, A Lynch.
C Hickey for O’Connor (47), J Conlon for Lynch (51), C Duke for Flynn (56), J Scully for Menton (60), K Smyth for Caulfield (60).
Anthony Nolan (Wicklow).
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